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Daniel rolled over. His back hurt, he was stiff and sore from sleeping on the bare ground. Which was necessitated by the fact that their gear had been taken from them the moment they walked close to the Dead Trees. It seemed that the trees marked the borders of the Alingi territory. The natives had posted guards there…he had no idea if Sam, Jack, and Teal'c had been taken as quickly, he hadn't been allowed to see them. The only thing, he suspected, that had kept him and SG-3 from joining them in the pit where SG-1 was being held was the fact that he'd been able to recognize the language and speak to the warriors who took them hostage.

The men of SG-3 were sitting around what was left of the fire. They nodded their greetings to him.

"God, I'd kill for a cup of coffee," Daniel moaned.

"You and me both, Doc," the major replied.

The guards who had been left to watch them overnight continued to do so.

"No sign of Tonka?" Daniel asked.

"Skinny leader with the big hat?" Ferretti asked.

The young archaeologist nodded.

"Nope. But it seems that just about everybody who lives here has peeked in at us," the major said.

Daniel ran his hand over his hair. He stood up and walked to the entrance of the cave. The warriors were all immediately at attention, watching him closely. He made no move to try to leave the cave, but he looked around carefully. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and sauntered back to the where the Marines sat.

"I only count twenty men. The six at the door, the rest scattered around the village. The only clubs I saw are right there," he informed them, nodding at those hideously large, dangerous looking weapons.

Ferretti grinned. "Nothing geeky about you any more, Doc," he said approvingly. "I suppose you have a plan?"

Daniel shook his head. "Those big guys there would beat the shit out of us before we got three feet. But I did notice something else," he said.

"What's that?"

"The women and children are gone."

"That can't be good," Ferretti said quietly.

He shook his head glumly. Stood up, began to examine the paintings and drawings on the stone walls again. There were several depictions of people being left to hang in the trees. Oh, shit! he thought, and moaned out loud.

"What is it, Doc?"

"I thought that the victims were put into the Dead Trees alive, like on Earth. They're not! They're beaten to death first!" Daniel said, his voice low. And he'd agreed to take SG-1's place! His fingers moved over the charcoal outlines of several men beating a man who lay on the ground. How could they possibly save him from that?

Movement at the front of the cave turned all attention there. Tonka and three of the elders who had been with him the night before entered.

"If we return your people to you, you will leave?" the man demanded curtly.

"As soon as we have our gear…uh…the things that we had with us. We need them for our journey," Daniel said.

Packs and weapons landed in the dirt at their feet. Including the gear of SG-1.

"We will return through the Sacred Eye, and bother you no more," Daniel promised solemnly.

Tonka nodded. "Come."

The men scrambled to grab the gear and follow the Alingi leaders. The big guys with the really nasty clubs followed close behind.

Tonka led them to the edge of the village. "They are here. You have until the sun is high above us to leave." Several ropes were tossed onto the ground. Without another word he turned and walked away. The guards remained.

He moved carefully to the edge of the deep, narrow pit. It almost looked like a well. Perhaps at one time it had been. "Jack?"

"Daniel?"

"Yeah. Are you guys all right?"

"Yeah. A little hungry. I could use a beer," Jack replied.

Daniel grinned. "Okay, we have to get you out of there, and then get the hell back through the 'gate. We don't have much time."

"Got ropes?"

"Yep."

"Let's do it."

Working frantically against the quickly moving sun, SG-3 managed to get the members of SG-1 out of the pit. Once they had their gear on, the two teams dashed for the 'gate, the warriors right behind them, screaming and hollering.

"Daniel, get that damned 'gate open. Everybody else, defensive positions!" Jack ordered.

His fingers flew from key to key, pushing the symbols that represented Earth, and home. The 'gate opened with it's customary 'whoosh', and the two teams dove through the shimmering wormhole.

"That one definitely goes on the never call again list," Jack complained, picking himself up from the bottom of the ramp.

"Well, Doctor Jackson, I see that you were successful," General Hammond said, smiling broadly. "Good job, son."

"Thank you, sir."

"Briefing in an hour. That should give you all time to shower, and get your medical check-up." The general turned and left the 'gate room, a grin on his face. SG-1 never failed to pull a rabbit out of the hat and return from disasters. Sometimes a little worse for the wear, but they always returned!

A   A   A   A   A   A

"You did good, Danny, thanks," Jack said, as he stood under the steamy water in the shower.

Daniel had his hands on the wall, his head hanging down, water running over it. "Yeah," he mumbled. "I had to offer myself in your place."

"Oh," Jack said, surprised. "That hole wasn't that bad," he said after a minute.

"No, Jack, for the Dead Trees. You know, those trees with all of the skeletons hanging in them?"

"Yeah, I remember. Ghoulish. Too Halloween-y for me."

"Well, before a…victim…I guess according to their laws it would be a criminal…is hung there, he's beaten to death. That's what I agreed to," Daniel said, turning his head to look over at the older man.

"So how did you manage to get out of it?"

Daniel gave a lazy grin. "I smoked a little pot with the chief, pointed out that leaders have to do what's best, and that we'd leave them alone if they let us go."

Jack chuckled. "You must have used the right combination of words, Space Monkey. It worked!"

He began to wash. Yesterday he'd taken a shower with her. Had made love to her in the shower. Shit! Don't think about it! his mind warned him, as his cock began to stir to life.

"Tell me about her," Jack said casually. He'd seen Daniel's eyes close, the small smile on his face. Knew he was thinking about something pleasant, especially when the boy's very ample cock began to swell. Not that he'd been looking. It was just damned impossible not to notice with Daniel!

"She's beautiful. Sweet. Funny. She's the most giving person I've ever met," Daniel said slowly.

Jack smiled. He'd reserve judgment on that. As far as he was concerned, that honor went to Daniel.

"Have you ever done the 'Around the World' thing?" the young archaeologist asked abruptly.

He almost dropped his soap. "I've managed a couple of trips," Jack admitted.

"I never had. Oh, I've done all of those things. Just not like that. Not until night before last. She was a virgin, Jack. She…she's amazing. Her waist is like this," Daniel said, demonstrating where his hands had fit around her slender body.

"Whoa!" Jack said softly.

"Yeah. The most amazing thing is-" he blushed, turned his head, finished washing quickly.

"Is what, Daniel?" Jack asked gently, when it became clear that the young archaeologist wasn't going to say any more without being coaxed.

"She took me. I mean she took me. All of me. Both times." His blush deepened; but the look of awe – of love – in his eyes offset the red of his cheeks.

"Wow."

Daniel grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his lean hips and walked toward the lockers. He knew that the other men were listening. He was also aware of the fact that several of them thought he was gay. Or at least bi. He had to smile as that thought crossed his mind. Those men on the dock had assumed that Casey was gay. What the men with whom he worked didn't seem to understand was that for three years he'd been looking for his wife. To be with another woman during that time would have been cheating on Sha're. After Sha're was killed, he took comfort from one woman for one night…someone that he wouldn't have chosen had the need not been so great at that moment. He'd wound up regretting what had happened almost as soon as he'd left the bed. After that, between the grief of Sha're's loss, the anger at his seeming inability to accurately...evaluate...women he was attracted to, and the schedule he kept, there had been no time for a woman in his life. He went to the strip clubs with Jack and Teal'c occasionally. Had even had a lap dance or two. Which had meant taking things into hand when he got home. But there'd been no woman in his bed. Since his return from Abydos, he'd slept alone. Until now.

Jack looked at his young friend. Could sense that the other men were listening. Knew all to well what some of the locker room gossip was. "So, you took her Around the World, then what?"

"She could hardly stand when she got out of bed…right after. God, I was so afraid I'd hurt her!" Daniel said. He pulled on his boxers, then a clean pair of fatigue pants. "I took the washcloths, got them hot, kept them pressed against her until the bleeding stopped."

Jack nodded. "Good move, Daniel. Shows you were concerned about her."

"I hadn't realized how much I missed having a woman sleeping in my arms," the young man mused. He dropped down onto the bench. "Not since before Sha're was-" he broke off, looked away.

Keep talking, Danny, Jack thought. They're hanging on every word. "I understand," he said softly. "So she was a virgin, huh?"

Daniel smiled. "Yeah. The next morning…she's amazing! Casey is a beautiful, sensual woman, and I have the feeling she's going to kill me!"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I don't follow."

"We were…making love," Daniel said softly, his eyes slightly unfocused, staring into his locker, seeing green eyes, remembering what had transpired in that hotel room bed. He forgot that anyone else was listening as memories of making love with her, how sweet she tasted, how sweet she smelled, how she'd felt in his arms, the…enthusiasm...with which she'd made love to him filled his mind. The way her need had taken over, the way she'd been so wonderfully, mind-blowingly out of control from that need. "She grabbed my ass, and started riding me like crazy. Then she wrapped around me, her arms around my shoulders, her legs around my waist, and I have no idea how she was doing it, but she was moving around and up and down on my cock like I was a carnival ride."

"Holy shit!" somebody exclaimed softly.

Jack grinned. "So it was good, huh?"

Daniel returned the grin. "Oh, yeah."

"So I take it that…um…things came out all right then?"

He laughed. "Oh yeah." He looked around. Remembered that the other men were listening, cursed himself mentally for saying as much as he had. "She's a beautiful woman, Jack. And if I find out that anyone, and I do mean anyone, says anything…uncouth…to her, or about her, I'll rip their tongue out and shove it up their ass."

Way to go, Danny! Jack cheered silently. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that, Daniel."

Daniel finished dressing. "After the briefing I've got to get a flight arranged for her. I want her here as soon as possible."

"Shouldn't take long. We went, we got stuck down a hole, you came and got us out," Jack said.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, his hand having moved over the pocket of the jeans he'd been wearing when he left Tacoma.

"What?"

"Her medicine. For her stomach. I forgot to leave it with her!" He put his glasses on, shook his head. How could he have been so stupid?

"She'll be here tomorrow, Daniel. She'll be okay."

Daniel shook his head again. "She told me that the doctor found scars on her stomach from ulcers she had when she was no more than eleven."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. Her adoptive parents…god, Jack, they abused her! Mentally, emotionally, physically. The fact that she has turned out to be as sweet and caring and trusting as she has is nothing short of a miracle!" Daniel exclaimed.

The men of SG-3 were now getting dressed as well. "So, Doc, you gonna marry this little gal?" one of the men asked him.

Daniel grinned. "Yep. Put a ring on her finger before I left."

Jack jerked, looked over at the young man. Thought about the telephone conversation they'd had. The sound of wonder, of love in his voice. "Destiny, huh?"

"Destiny," Daniel replied. He pulled a tee shirt over his chest, brushed his hair, then shoved his arms into the sleeves of the fatigue shirt that went with the pants. "Let's go, I have a flight to book!"

Ferretti grinned as the young man raced out the door. "Well, I guess that puts all the guys who think Doc is gay out in the cold, doesn't it?"

Jack looked at the man. "Anybody who thinks Daniel is gay doesn't know him," he replied coolly. He slammed his locker closed and followed his young teammate.

"Don't look at me," one of the men complained when Ferretti scowled at him. "I never did think he was gay!"

"If you ask me, the guy who started that rumor is, and has the hots for the Doc," one of the other men said.

"Well one thing is for sure," Ferretti said, "whoever it was that thought they'd give him a blanket party sure as hell got a surprise! Doctor Jackson isn't the kind of man to fool with. Better get the word out that his lady is definitely off limits." The major was referring to an attempt eight weeks earlier by several men to throw a blanket over Daniel, and beat him. Except that even with the blanket over his head he'd been able to fight them, and managed to knock one of them out, another down a flight of stairs in the warehouse where the event was taking place, and then broke free. He never pressed charges, never told General Hammond who they were. That had earned him a lot of respect, and all of the men of the SGC certainly respected his ability to defend himself! Ferretti frowned. He still couldn't figure out who would attack Daniel Jackson after all the man had done for the SGC, and hell, the world and the universe as well! He suspected that the malcontents were from among three newly arrived Marine teams. When he found out for certain, he and his team were going to have a little blanket party of their own!

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